IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection comparison

The compared IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy and IBM Security Guardium Data Protection solutions aren't in the same category. IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy is ranked #7 in DM , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 4.0% mindshare in the category. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is ranked #1 in DS , with an average rating of 8.4, and holds a 27.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection users who would recommend it.

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data P...

Read 1 IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy review

476 Views
347 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Read 80 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews

5,468 Views
4,538 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data P...

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy and IBM Security Guardium Data Protection based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Perforce, Informatica, Broadcom and others in Data Masking.

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Data Masking

January 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data P...

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Masking (7th)

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database Security (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Database Development and Management Tools solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy is designed for Data Masking and holds a mindshare of 4.0%, up 2.2% compared to last year.
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection, on the other hand, focuses on Database Security, holds 27.5% mindshare, down 33.0% since last year.

Data Masking Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy	4.0%
Perforce Delphix	10.8%
Broadcom Test Data Manager	7.3%
Other	77.9%

Data Masking

Database Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection	27.5%
Imperva Data Security Fabric	26.0%
Oracle Audit Vault	11.7%
Other	34.8%

Database Security

Featured Reviews

HansMiseur

Director at Suadasoft Info Cura

A stable and flexible product that improves development time

The product is very stable and flexible. The product masks data throughout the entire structure. It helps us to work in a differential integrity environment. We conducted testing directly on our production environment in the past, but that’s no longer the case. We can now work with actual data in a production-like setting without production data. The shift to non-production data for testing and development has significantly improved our workflow. Developers can now work with fewer errors when deploying to production. The delivery of new software became faster, and errors significantly decreased. Working with actual data during the development phase allowed us to catch and address issues early rather than encountering them later during acceptance or production.

Read full review

David Plazer

Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec

Ensures data security and compliance with reliable alerts and protections

The manuals should be clearer. There needs to be an online course or tutorial for faster management training. The maintenance was slightly complicated. I had to read the manuals carefully and even failed the Guardium certification exam due to insufficient information or time. Improving the tool learning process would be beneficial.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The product is very stable and flexible. The product masks data throughout the entire structure. It helps us to work in a differential integrity environment. We conducted testing directly on our production environment in the past, but that’s no longer the case. We can now work with actual data in a production-like setting without production data. The shift to non-production data for testing and development has significantly improved our workflow."

"The most valuable feature for me, in my role as systems DBA, is the expediting of internal and external audits."

"It provides us regulatory compliance proof and evidence for audit."

"Ability to define reports based on SQL query, especially when you have complex report criteria."

"The tech support is very knowledgeable."

"he solution offers trouble-free access."

"The best feature is how many databases we can protect with one solution because it has compatibility with different databases, including Oracle, SQL, and DB2."

"This is a multi-platform solution that consolidates everything and centralizes support for it."

"Our internal audit is keeping an eye out, and making sure that we're in compliance. Having the Guardium solution and its reporting helps us get through that process a lot more quickly and efficiently."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros

Cons

"We have encountered challenges with different intgrity structures. In my experience, I’ve encountered challenges with implementing business cases. While the product remains stable, translating its use cases can be more complex. This involves both technical and functional considerations."

"Sometimes the performance is not good, and also sometimes we have sudden bugs causing difficulties."

"The manuals should be clearer. There needs to be an online course or tutorial for faster management training."

"Personally, I would not recommend this product."

"I have already mentioned to IBM that a primary need is to improve the number of records in the reports above 65,535."

"There are areas that need improvement, such as the documentation."

"The biggest complaint that I hear from customers and users is that using this solution requires database skills, yet it is a security and monitoring tool."

"There could be a feature to integrate and protect multiple databases. The local support services need improvements as well."

"The one thing that I would like to see improved, but I don't think it's going to be in the next release, is its reporting capabilities. I think that's been offloaded to another third-party product that I think IBM actually endorses for that."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy's pricing is not expensive. It was less than what we expected. The licensing model for IBM Optim involves a one-time purchase followed by an annual subscription fee. This fee covers ongoing support and access to new versions. However, there are no options for extended or additional support."

"Guardium has not saved us time or money."

"The price is good for the quality of the solution."

"Its cost is good. With the new metric of licensing, such as PDO not being available now, customers are expecting a good price for the solution."

"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. "

"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."

"IBM Guardium Data Protection charges you based on the number of users, e.g. based on the number of licenses, and it's either on a per-license or a per-data basis."

"The biggest challenge is the cost associated with the product, and the cost of maintaining. Everything is not translated directly to the benefits we see. There are benefits, yes, but if I were writing the check, would I buy Guardium? No."

"IBM solutions have fair price strategy, and operates on a yearly basis. If it's a SaaS solution, then you can opt for yearly basis."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

25%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	17
Large Enterprise	44

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy?

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy's pricing is not expensive. It was less than what we expected. The licensing model for IBM Optim involves a one-time purchase followed by an annual subscription fe...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy?

We have encountered challenges with different intgrity structures. In my experience, I’ve encountered challenges with implementing business cases. While the product remains stable, translating its ...

See all answers

How does IBM Guardium Data Protection compare with Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is a solution for database security from IBM that gives complete visibility, control, and analysis to secure sensitive data and comply with regulations. IBM S...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Guardium Data Protection?

I don't remember the exact prices, but Guardium is an expensive tool because it is targeted towards corporate enterprises.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection?

The features I like are the robust policies, which allow us to create customized monitoring based on specific activities.

See all answers

Comparisons

Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform vs IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy

Compared 26% of the time

iScramble vs IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy

Compared 22% of the time

OpenText Data Privacy and Protection Foundation (Voltage) vs IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy

Compared 16% of the time

More IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy Competitors

Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 55% of the time

Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 13% of the time

DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle Database Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 3% of the time

OpenText Data Privacy and Protection Foundation (Voltage) vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Data Masking

January 2026

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy report

Download IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

January 2026

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection report

Download IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report

Also Known As

IBM Optim Data Privacy, Optim Data Privacy

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium

Overview

Optim Data Privacy supports Format Preserving Encryption (FPE) and is based on the Advanced Encryption Standard 256-bit (AES-256) algorithm providing the capability to produce unique masked values that are extremely varied and without a discernible pattern.

IBM

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection offers automatic discovery and classification of sensitive data, real-time monitoring, and advanced analytics to identify unusual activities around data.

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is designed to safeguard sensitive data across enterprises with real-time activity monitoring and comprehensive security features. Its capabilities include data discovery, classification, and compliance automation with pre-built templates for regulations like PCI, SOX, HIPAA, and CCPA. Supporting a variety of platforms, it facilitates seamless monitoring, making it a valuable asset for diverse environments in maintaining data security and compliance.

What are the key features?

Real-Time Monitoring: Provides alerts for unauthorized activities.
Data Masking: Protects data through masking techniques.
Access Control: Ensures only authorized users gain access.
Query Rewriting: Alters queries to maintain data integrity.
Platform Support: Monitors across multiple environments.

Why consider this for ROI?

Ease of Deployment: Simplifies the setup process for enterprises.
Robust Reporting: Enhances transparency through detailed audit trails.
Compliance Automation: Streamlines compliance with regulatory requirements.
Risk Management: Identifies and mitigates potential risks efficiently.

Industries like banking and finance utilize IBM Security Guardium Data Protection to enhance database security and compliance efforts. Enterprises employ it to detect incidents and manage vulnerabilities, focusing on protecting customer data and maintaining privacy standards. The technology aids in incident detection and supports adherence to security regulations.

IBM

Sample Customers

Rabobank

Information Not Available

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